Welsh Rarebit

Wales, Britain — 18th-century British cookbooks document 'Welsh Rabbit'; the name origin is disputed (a joke about Welsh rabbit hunters, or a corruption of 'rarebit'); the dish is genuinely Welsh in its use of Welsh ale and cheese

Often misunderstood as 'cheese on toast', Welsh rarebit is a specifically prepared hot cheese sauce — cooked on the stovetop from cheddar, Welsh ale (or Guinness), mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and egg yolk — that is spread on toast and grilled (broiled) until bubbling and brown. The sauce must be cooked rather than simply placed; the cooking produces a more integrated, smooth result than melted raw cheese. The egg yolk stabilises the sauce and provides a richer, more cohesive texture than flour-thickened alternatives. True Welsh rarebit is made with mature Welsh Cheddar (Caerphilly can also be used) and a dark Welsh ale; the combination of malt-bitter from the beer, sharp cheese, hot mustard, and umami-rich Worcestershire produces a complex sauce that 'cheese on toast' simply cannot compete with.

• Shares the cheese-sauce-on-toast concept with Swiss fondue on bread and French croque monsieur (which adds ham and béchamel); the ale-and-cheese sauce parallels Belgian kaaskroket; as a hot savoury at the end of a meal it parallels the Victorian savory course

Served as a British savoury (the traditional end-of-dinner savoury course before dessert in formal dining); at lunch or as a snack; paired with a glass of pale ale or the same dark ale used in the sauce; the combination of sharp cheese, bitter ale, and hot mustard is specifically British in its bold, unashamed flavour